Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The Day of Void: L5R Homebrew Planning (Four)

Continuing on with my work getting ready for an L5R campaign. Below is the material I sent the players so they could start considering their characters. This tags on to the end of the previous campaign and explains what happened after the final scene. That was essentially a different version of the Scorpion Clan Coup, with the Nothing in the driver's seat. The destruction of that force rendered most people's memories of the event hazy or absent entirely. Previous Posts:The New Dragon: L5R Campaign Planning (Post One)The New Dragon: Building the Family (Post Two)

It has been almost three years since the event known as
The Day of Void. On that day, Hantei the XXXVIII was murdered, and yet no one
was punished. The Imperial capital of Otosan Uchi burned and many died, yet
blame could not be laid with any certainty. Somehow memories of those days were
fragmented, bent, and even erased entirely. The few who recalled events gave
testimony. And yet those testimonies contradict and repudiate one another. Some
claim they saw the death of one person though that person still lived. Some
spoke of rescuing a friend, but that person lay dead. Some claim the
Shadowlands marched upon the walls, while no evidence of taint can be located.
Battles, duels, betrayal, siege- all of these things cannot be confirmed. Even
the physical evidence and voices from the kami seem at odds with one another.

What is known and what is suspected are two different
things. The inner circles have spoken of the Shadow, a corrupting and changing
force which manipulated events. The destruction of this force, a thing
forgotten since the creation of the world, caused the ripples and conflict
within the world. It had been a thing of deceit and so left a legacy of uncertainty
and fear. Some say it even changed the land itself, a rumor quickly put down by
reference to the Emperor’s maps.

Many fell at Otosan Uchi during that period- much of the
Imperial Legion, many visiting Scorpion troops, forces from all of the other
clans. Some died there, it is said, while others simply vanished across the
empire. The Hantei died from a sword-stroke, but no one can saw who brought him
down. Other great heroes of the empire fell as well: Akodo Torturi, the Lion
Clan Champion; Toghashi Yokuni, the Dragon Clan Champion; Bayushi Shoju, the
Scorpion Clan Champion; and Doji Satsume, the Crane Clan Champion. Others of
renown fell as with Mirumoto Hitomi; Doji Hitori; Bayushi Dairu; Soshi Bantaro;
and many others. The Scorpion, Lion, and Crane suffered the most losses-
troops, samurai, courtiers, and others devastated. The Unicorn, Phoenix, and
Dragon suffered significant losses as well, with some families such as the
Togashi bearing the brunt. Only the Crab suffered minor losses, which they have
needed in the days since then- as the Shadowlands has been increasingly
aggressive and dangerous.

The Fortunes managed to protect the young Imperial Heir,
Hantei the XXXIX. He found himself in the Phoenix lands with no memory of how
he had come to be there. With wisdom, he quickly turned aside his desire for
vengeance when the full magnitude of the situation became clear. Despite
accusations from clan against clan, he declared a general amnesty- producing a
blessing from the Kami Togashi. He revealed that the Kami had sacrificed
himself to save Rokugan and seal the Lying Darkness. The Emperor recognized the
efforts of the Mantis in his rescue, although he did not know the details, and
promoted them to Great Clan status once more. He set forth a plan to rebuild
Otosan Uchi and focused his energies. In a move calculated to protect the
weakened Scorpion, he took Bayushi Kachiko, widow of the Scorpion Clan
Champion, as his bride.

THE
DAYS SINCE

The Empire has slowly begun to restore itself in the
three years since. However rumors, hearsay, and speculation has led to tensions
between the clans. Skirmishes and wars have erupted in nearly every season. The
Emperor has been occupied with the rebuilding and establishing of his dynasty,
leaving the daimyo a free hand. At the same time, the Shadowlands have risen
with a force not seen in centuries, some speak of dark monsters in the Shinomen
Mori forest, and Bloodspeakers have been caught across the realm. The recent
war between the Lion, Scorpion, and Unicorn was among the bloodiest and
costliest, threatening trade, commerce, and the sustenance. The Dragon had
remained quiet in their mountains for generation, but now took action. With a
devastating strike, they marched forces in and seized lands bordering these
three clans- creating a meandering border province. Clan Champion Togashi Hoshi
petitioned the Emperor, calling on the favor owed to the clan for the kami’s
sacrifice. The Emperor agreed to recognize the region as Dragon Clan lands, in
exchange for other concessions from the clan. The Unicorn and Lion raged
against the decision, but could not openly dispute the Emperor’s will. The
Scorpion Clan remained silent on the matter. The new lands of the Dragon were
split among three daimyo, one from the Mirumoto, another from the Agasha, and
the third to be given over to a new family created and anointed by Togashi
Hoshi to honor this daimyo’s efforts and heroic actions.

THE
NEW DRAGON

So it is that you have become part of this new family
among the Dragon Clan. Perhaps you are distantly related by blood to the
daimyo’s line; perhaps you simply owe fealty to it; you may have volunteered to
join this new family as a chance to gain honor; perhaps you were gifted by your
family; perhaps you were exiled; perhaps you were recruited; perhaps you were
raised up from ronin or other status. There are many reasons why you might have
joined- we can certainly talk about that. Each of you will be important people-
honored figures. There will be other senior samurai, but you will be key. Each
of you will have a role within the family, and a retinue to help you carry that
out. But you will also be the taskforce and comrades which the daimyo sends out
to deal with problems.

While you are of the Dragon Clan, you have not
necessarily trained there. In Legend of the Five Rings, there are ‘roles’
rather than locked in character classes. Once you have chosen a role, you then
choose a “school.” Schools refine your training and experience and offer
different abilities. Some samurai-class students train at other schools and
then return to their own clan- since you’re PCs you are exceptional and will
have a chance to do that. It is also possible to train at two schools- but such
a choice will cost all of your bonus picks and you will only be able to advance
in one of the schools during play. I will present a list of the different clan
schools and a brief description of their focus. In thinking about what you want
to play, consider that each of the major roles- Samurai, Shugenja, Courtier,
Monk can be built in different ways, with different aspects. Here are some
examples (not necessarily covering everything).

You’ll be building your character with points, as with
most Action Cards rules. Your
character will be built on your deck (results assigned, edges, and unique
cards); your skills (which allow redraws); your aspects (descriptive traits);
mechanical details (stress, honor); and talents/flaws (special unique
abilities, ancestor blessings, etc. bought only at character creation). Beyond
this are the Clan Schools which offer school techniques. Each has five ranked techniques
which must be bought in order. You start with the Rank One pick and can buy
more during character creation or in play. You also get some free skills for
taking a school.

During play, you’ll also get a chance to suggest and
develop some additional special abilities. We’ve done this in the Last Fleet campaign, and it has been
pretty successful. These will represent new katas learned, lessons from your
dojo, new expertise developed, new contacts made, or even an advanced school of
study. You’ll also have the chance to buy stuff based on your role. Shugenja,
obviously, will be able to buy new spells. Some Monks will be able to buy new
kiho powers or tattoos. Courtier characters will be able to gain new strings to
pull. Combat focused characters will be able to buy new combat maneuvers.
You’ll be able to purchase outside your role (except for magic stuff), but at a
higher cost.

Here’s
what I want you to do:

Below you’ll find a list of the Clans and their schools.
For each I’ve listed at least three keywords which reflect the kind of stuff
they do and kinds of School techniques they get. In some cases I’ve listed some
variant paths under a major school; these are the same as the base, but with
one technique swapped out for a new one. Look through and see what interests
you. Select up to three that you might want to play. You can choose fewer if
you know what you really want. If you want to spend all of your bonus picks on
two schools, tell me and we’ll discuss that. I’ll allow up to two people that
chance, but they’d better have a good story. Once you’ve picked, I’ll write out
those abilities. This is a means of reducing my workload, so I don’t have to
create all of the School stuff at the start. Feel free to ask questions
or discuss among yourselves what you want to play.

These
can come from any clan, although some have a stronger focus than others. The
Brotherhood of Shinsei accepts all. The first two listed here use kiho, which
are elemental activated powers. The third is purely physical.